With the 2014 GT Asia Series title just two days away from its conclusion, the title contenders are embroiled in a battle of their own in amongst the outright teams competing for the prestigious Macau GT Cup.
Some of the world’s leading GT3 teams and drivers have converged on Macau, but whilst the battle at the front of the field has social media buzzing, the fight for 2014 GT Asia Series is no less intense with points leader and two-time champion Weng Sun Mok and series rookie Anthony Liu locked in their own private battle.
Lui has so far surprised just about everyone with his pace on debut at Macau, the BBT Ferrari driver the leading GT Asia Series points scorer after two 30-minute sessions, although by his own high standards, he’s not 100% happy with his performance..
“I’m not disappointed, but I’m not happy,” Liu admitted. “The biggest thing I noticed about Macau was the bumpiness of the track, I didn’t expect that, it was quite bumpy. I genuinely love the track though, it’s a big balls track and it suits my style.
“The plan for Q2 is to improve. Yesterday – because of the red flag – I only got four full laps, and three of those were impeded, but today I had a chance to complete nine or ten laps where I could just focus on the circuit.
“Definitely we want to improve in Q2 for Sunday – a good couple of seconds, but I don’t really see the value in getting too far forward – I don’t have any plan in getting involved in a bumping war with the outright group because it doesn’t make any sense.
“In one way I’d like to have a really good qualifying run, but in another it doesn’t really make any sense to be further forward. We’ll see what happens, [title] chances are slim, but we’ll keep fighting..”
Mok meanwhile was more than happy with his pace after Friday’s first 30-minute qualifier, the two-time champion within tenths of his 2013 GT Asia Series pole time..
“I know what I need to do, and at the moment, I’m more than happy with my pace,” the Clearwater Racing Ferrari driver admitted. “But I have to say, I’m really impressed with Anthony’s pace on debut here at Macau, he’s doing a very good job – and I’ll go on record to say that, he’s been very impressive.”
Third fastest of the GT Asia Series regulars after qualifying was Phillip Ma, the Absolute Racing Audi regular having stopped the opening practice session after hitting the barriers at the top of the circuit. Fortunately damage was mostly superficial, allowing the team to get him back onto the grid for the opening qualifier.
Ma’s Absolute team-mate Jeffrey Lee was fourth, a good recovery from his opening practice session where he was faced with getting used to a ‘new’ car after the accident which removed his primary car from the Shanghai event. Dilantha Malagamuwa was next quickest, the Lamborghini driver – like Lee – an old-hand at Macau, the two of them sharing something like 15 Macau entries between them [neither could remember the full number!].
Frank Yu was next quickest, the 2013 event runner-up nowhere near his best in qualifying, a mystery illness keeping him from recording a time in amongst the series leaders, the Craft Bamboo Aston driver just narrowly clear of former team-mate Samson Chan in the thundering Ford GT.
Francis Tjia claimed the honours as leading GTM class driver after Porsche stalwart and outgoing class champion Wayne Shen wound up in the barriers on a hot lap, whilst new GTM class champion Jacky Yeung managed to out-qualify John Shen, the four GTM class ‘veterans’ all making the qualifying timing cut.
Of the GT Asia Series regulars who are not entered for series points this weekend, Spirit of Race Ferrari driver Rui Aguas was impressive, qualifying in P14, just ahead of team-mate Anthony Liu, whilst two-time Macau winner Keita Sawa was an impressive eleventh, the Japanese driver making his debut with the FUN88 Lamborghini team.
Can anyone stop Mortara?
Coming into Macau 2014, the big question was which of the German manufacturers would win the outright battle.. Reigning champions Audi brought three-time winner Edoardo Mortara and sportscar star Laurens Vanthoor. Mercedes Benz brought their 2013 title contenders Maro Engel and Renger van der Zande, whilst BMW invited DTM champion Marco Wittmann and team-mate Augusto Farfus.
2013 pole-sitter Engel was the pace-setter in Thursday’s opening 30-minute session, but the German star felt that Audi were ‘sand-bagging’, with Vanthoor and Mortara second and third.
He was proven right during the opening qualifier, Mortara setting a stunning 2:18.230 second lap for pole, more than a second clear of Engel who ultimately fell to third behind recently crowned Porsche Supercup champion Earl Bamber.
Engel elected to leave the pole battle another day (Q2 is scheduled for midday Saturday – the fastest time of the two sessions setting the grid) however he admitted post-session that he was concerned that the Audi had received too great an advantage with the recent BOP [balance of performance] adjustments.
“Last year through the first sector alone we were eight tenths up on them, but this year they’re three tenths quicker,” he shrugged. “Could I have matched his 18.2.. probably. I think we might be able to break into the 17s tomorrow, but I think pole might be a 17.5, and that would take the prefect lap. We’ll see..”
Whilst the German factory teams battled at the head of the field, local hero Darryl O’Young surprised everyone with his pace, the Macau veteran – returning to a GT car for the first time in four years – set the fifth fastest time in both practice and Q1.
“I would normally be racing with my WEC team this weekend in Dubai, but Macau is a big part of my career, it really is my home race with so many fans from both Hong Kong and Macau supporting me,” O’Young explained. “So I just had to be here, I couldn’t miss it!
“You look for these opportunities too in your career to be able to fight with the best drivers in the world. Most GT races are endurance races, but this is a real GT sprint race, the drivers are giving it everything they’ve got – that’s the kind of thing I like as a driver.
“I’m trying to work my way back into a rhythm with the Craft Bamboo Aston, there have been a lot of evolutions with the GT3 cars over the last four years since I last drove one here, so I’m just getting myself back up to speed. The biggest challenge is trying to find the perfect lap time without binning it.. [laughs].”
2014 GT Asia Series Macau GT Cup, Guia Circuit, Macau (13-16 November)
EVENT SCHEDULE;
Saturday, 15 November
12:50pm – Qualifying #2 (30-minutes)
Sunday, 16 November
9:00am – Race #1 (12-laps)
Shanghai (China) time; GMT +8 hours
THE GT ASIA SERIES AND MACAU
Over the last three seasons, the GT Asia Series has concluded its championship with the annual Macau GT Cup, arguably the toughest GT race on the planet. Only the amateur driver in the team is eligible to enter and gain championship points, however the field also includes some of the best GT drivers in the world.
Since 2011 only one driver has proven victorious at Macau – multiple Macau F3 winner Edoardo Mortara, the Audi favourite taking his Audi R8 to victory in each of the last three years.
Whilst the Macau GT Cup is recognised as a ‘stand alone’ event in the world of GT, it also includes the GT Asia Series competitors with the series regulars awarded championship points relative to the position they finish in the race, so for instance, China’s Peter Li finished the 2013 event in position five, but as the leading GT Asia Series driver, he was awarded maximum points for the round. That result also gave him the GT Asia Series title after defeating title contenders Frank Yu (seventh) and Mok Weng Sun (DNF).
In 2012 Li also took the win, defeating Weng Sun and Yu, whilst in 2011, Weng Sun took the Macau victory and his maiden title.
Lap record: Edoardo Mortara (Audi R8) – 2:19.550 (2013)
Track length: 6.120-kilometres
WHERE TO WATCH..
Keep track of the final round of the 2014 GT Asia Series from Macau via the AFOS website – http://www.afos.com via Facebook; http://www.facebook.com/GTAsiaSeries and through YouTube; http://www.youtube.com/user/afosTV
2014 GT Asia Series – Macau GT Cup
Practice#1 (30-minutes) – 13 November, 2014
1. 5. Maro Engel (GER) – AMG Driving Academy Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – 2:20.976
2. 2. Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) – Audi Race Experience Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:21.372
3. 1. Edoardo Mortara (ITA) – Audi Race Experience Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:21.706
4. 6. Renger van der Zande (NED) – AMG Driving Academy SLS AMG GT3 – 2:22.706
5. 55. Darryl O’Young (HKG) – Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin GT3 – 2:23.046
6. 90. Takeshi Tsuchiya (JPN) – Team AAI Rstrada Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – 2:23.809
7. 10. Andre Couto (MAC) – Direction Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:23.897
8. 91. Augusto Farfus (BRA) – Team AAI Rstrada BMW Z4 GT3 – 2:24.065
9. 17. Adderly Fong (HKG) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:24.077
10. 4. Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) – Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3 – 2:24.675
11. 72. Earl Bamber (NZL) – LKM Racing Porsche 997 GT3-R – 2:24.857
12. 38. Rui Aguas (POR) – Spirit of Race by AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3 – 2:25.044**
13. 92. Marco Wittmann (GER) – Team AAI Rstrada BMW Z4 GT3 – 2:25.231
14. 9. Max Wiser (ITA) – NB Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – 2:25.643**
15. 93. Carlo Van Dam (NED) – Team AAI Rstrada Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – 2:27.021
16. 13. Katsumasa Chiyo (JPN) – B-Max Racing Team Nissan GT-R GT3 – 2:27.223
17. 37. Anthony Liu (CHN) – BBT Team by AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:27.425*
18. 23. Danny Watts (GBR) – United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C GT3 – 2:27.908
19. 97. Frank Yu (HKG) – Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – 2:29.987*
20. 3. Weng Sun Mok (SIN) – Clearwater Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:32.039*
21. 24. Dilantha Malagamuwa (SRI) – Dilango Racing Gallardo FL2 GT3 – 2:32.046*
22. 88. Keita Sawa (JPN) – FUN88 Racing Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 – 2:32.102**
23. 33. Pasin Lathouras (THA) – AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:32.432
24. 16. Wayne Shen (HKG) – Modena Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup [GTM] – 2:35.226*
25. 56. Samson Chan (HKG) – Eurasia Motorsport Ford GT3 – 2:35.838*
26. 68. Hing Tak Mak (HKG) – Kamlung Racing Audi R8 GT3 ultra [GTM] – 2:37.453
27. 21. Francis Tjia (HKG) – Open Road Porsche GT3 Cup Car [GTM] – 2:37.469*
28. 25. Richard Meins (GBR) – United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C GT3 – 2:38.331
29. 7. Jeffrey Lee (TPE) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:39.302*
30. 20. Rodolfo Avila (MAC) – Porsche GT3 Cup Car [GTM] – 2:40.062
31. 28. John Shen (HKG) – Modena Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup [GTM]* – 2:40.444
32. 15. Keng Fai Vong (MAC) – Porsche GT3 Cup Car [GTM] – 2:41.597
33. 8. Yuk Lung Siu (HKG) – LKM Racing Porsche 997 GT3-R – 2:42.289**
34. 98. Phillip Ma (HKG) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:47.740*
35. 77. Jacky Yeung (HKG) – Tiger Racing Team Audi R8 LMS Cup [GTM] – 2:48.249*
Qualifying#1 (30-minutes) – 14 November, 2014
1. 1. Edoardo Mortara (ITA) – Audi Race Experience Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:18.230
2. 72. Earl Bamber (NZL) – LKM Racing Porsche 997 GT3-R – 2:18.804
3. 5. Maro Engel (GER) – AMG Driving Academy Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – 2:19.732
4. 2. Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) – Audi Race Experience Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:20.011
5. 55. Darryl O’Young (HKG) – Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin GT3 – 2:20.062
6. 91. Augusto Farfus (BRA) – Team AAI Rstrada BMW Z4 GT3 – 2:20.662
7. 6. Renger van der Zande (NED) – AMG Driving Academy SLS AMG GT3 – 2:20.723
8. 90. Takeshi Tsuchiya (JPN) – Team AAI Rstrada Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – 2:21.450
9. 13. Katsumasa Chiyo (JPN) – B-Max Racing Team Nissan GT-R GT3 – 2:22.124
10. 17. Adderly Fong (HKG) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:22.703
11. 88. Keita Sawa (JPN) – FUN88 Racing Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 – 2:22.967**
12. 92. Marco Wittmann (GER) – Team AAI Rstrada BMW Z4 GT3 – 2:23.619
13. 23. Danny Watts (GBR) – United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C GT3 – 2:23.893
14. 38. Rui Aguas (POR) – Spirit of Race by AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3 – 2:23.899**
15. 37. Anthony Liu (CHN) – BBT Team by AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:24.588*
16. 4. Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) – Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3 – 2:24.898
17. 9. Max Wiser (ITA) – NB Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – 2:25.243**
18. 33. Pasin Lathouras (THA) – AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:26.541
19. 3. Weng Sun Mok (SIN) – Clearwater Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – 2:26.677*
20. 98. Phillip Ma (HKG) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:29.712*
21. 7. Jeffrey Lee (TPE) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra – 2:29.922*
22. 24. Dilantha Malagamuwa (SRI) – Dilango Racing Gallardo FL2 GT3 – 2:30.064*
23. 97. Frank Yu (HKG) – Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – 2:30.493*
24. 25. Richard Meins (GBR) – United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C GT3 – 2:31.267
25. 93. Carlo Van Dam (NED) – Team AAI Rstrada Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 – 2:32.194
26. 56. Samson Chan (HKG) – Eurasia Motorsport Ford GT3 – 2:33.171*
27. 21. Francis Tjia (HKG) – Open Road Porsche GT3 Cup Car [GTM] – 2:33.664*
28. 20. Rodolfo Avila (MAC) – Porsche GT3 Cup Car [GTM] – 2:34.894
29. 16. Wayne Shen (HKG) – Modena Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup [GTM] – 2:34.927*
30. 77. Jacky Yeung (HKG) – Tiger Racing Team Audi R8 LMS Cup [GTM] – 2:36.549*
31. 28. John Shen (HKG) – Modena Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup [GTM]* – 2:37.261
NC. 8. Yuk Lung Siu (HKG) – LKM Racing Porsche 997 GT3-R – 2:39.224**
NC. 15. Keng Fai Vong (MAC) – Porsche GT3 Cup Car [GTM] – 2:42.022
NC. 68. Hing Tak Mak (HKG) – Kamlung Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [GTM] – NTR
DNQ. 10. Andre Couto (MAC) – Direction Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – NTR
#drivers below the 2:38.964 qualifying mark were not classified
(*GT Asia competitor registered for series points, **GT Asia Series regular driver)
2014 GT Asia Series – Championship points
(after round 12 of 13)
Overall
1. Mok Weng Sun/Keita Sawa (153-points), 3. Rob Bell/Hiroshi Hamaguchi (147), 5. Frank Yu (142), 6. Davide Rizzo/Anthony Liu (137), 8. Max Wiser (104), 9. Richard Wee (89), 10. Jeffrey Lee, Jiang Xin (74), 12. Richard Lyons (68), 13. Christoper Mies (62), 14. Nasrat Muzayyin/Rui Aguas (57), 16. Stefan Mucke (51), 17. Craig Baird (42), 18. Alex Yoong (35), 19. Jonathon Venter (34), 20, Lucas Guerrero (30), 21. Dilantha Malagamuwa (24), 22. Warren Luff, Takuma Aoki (23), 25. Alessandro Guidi, Matt Solomon, Jacky Yeung, (22), 28. Sun Jing Zu (21), 29. Daniel Bilski (20), 30. Carlo Van Dam/Tanart Sathienthirakul, Vuttikhorn Inthraphuvasak/Piti Bhirombhakdi (17)
GTM Class
1. Jacky Yeung (150-points), 2. Takuma Aoki (144), 3. Thomas Fjordbach (138), 4. George Chou (132), 5. Ken Urata (98), 6. Wayne Shen (84), 7. Francis Tjia (74), 8. John Shen (70), 9. Keith Vong (44), 10. Keo Chang (39), 11. Matt Solomon (36), 12. Robert Lee (30), 13. Craig Liu (27), 13. Samson Chan, Joe Hsu Cheng Chang (26), 15. Terry Fang, Ashraf Dewal (24), 17. Fukujirou (21), 18. James Cai (19), 19. Satoshi Hoshino, Scott Miau, Christian Chia, Marchy Lee (18), 24. Marcel Tjia (17), 25. Francis Hideki Onda (15), 26. Ryu Fukuda, Joseph Chua/Rick Cheang (14), 24. Ryu Ohtsuka, Nick Edwards, Ishihara Masayuki, Gamisan, Benjamin Rouget (10), 28. Juncheng Lin (9), 30, Dominic Ang/Anthony Chan (8), 32. Lin Tsung Han (6)
The GT Asia Series is sanctioned by the FIA as an International Series and is clearly recognised as the Region’s leading GT Championship. It is jointly managed and promoted by Motorsport Asia Ltd and the Supercar Club Hong Kong and is backed by Yokohama, GRAHAM, KW Automotive, Auto Art, Race Room, RacerLink and Tunewear.
2014 GT Asia Series – calendar
Rnd#1/#2, 16-18 May – Korea International Circuit, South Korea (AFOS)
Rnd#3/#4, 30 May-1 June – Autopolis International Circuit, Japan (SGT)
Rnd#5/#6, 11-13 July – Fuji International Speedway, Japan (Super Formula)
Rnd#7/#8, 15-17 August – Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia (AFOS)
Rnd#9/#10, 12-14 September – Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia (MSS)
Rnd#11/#12, 10-12 October – Shanghai International Circuit, China (WTCC)
Rnd#13, 14-16 November – Guia Circuit, Macau (MGP)
Source. Motorsport Media
